Streaming is a technique for transferring data such that it can be processed as a steady and continuous stream. Many real-time events, such as live news items, have to be streaming events or else they may become much less relevant and less valuable. Also, streaming allows a personal computer (PC) user connected to the Internet to play a multimedia file, such as an audio or video file, in real time without having to wait for the entire file to be downloaded. This is important because many users do not have fast enough access to the Internet to download a large multimedia file in an adequately short amount of time. Typically, data streams are generated and distributed by streaming content providers (SCPs).
An SCP may map a data stream to a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) to provide users access to the data stream through readily available player programs, which are commonly integrated with Internet browser programs. To begin a viewing or listening session, a user may direct a player program or browser program to the URL of a desired data stream. However, if the URL mapping of the desired data stream is incorrect, the user may receive an unexpected data stream. As an example, a user expecting classical music may receive hard rock music. Incorrect URL mappings may be introduced through various elements in distribution logic used to deliver the data stream from its source to the end user.
An SCP may provide streaming content generation and delivery services to resellers of streaming content, such as Internet radio stations and Internet service providers (ISPs), who provide end users access to the streaming content. It is common for a service level agreement (SLA) between an SCP and a reseller to include a provision that commits the SCP to a specified level of content delivery accuracy, as well as penalty provisions if the specified level of accuracy is not achieved.
In today's Internet content delivery systems, there are no mechanisms to bind a URL and the content it represents, ensuring that the intended content gets delivered to users. Therefore, in an attempt to assure accuracy, an SCP may employ human operators to direct a player program to the URL of a data stream in order to validate the content is streamed from the expected source. To employ human operators for content source validation (CSV) is expensive and directly impacts scalability of operations due to the limited number of data streams a human operator can validate. Further, because the process involves human interaction, the possibility of human error exists.